Fractal Urban Design
Beirut's history and cultural heritage are undoubtedly among the world's richest resources, and plays an essential role in the rehabilitation of Martyr's Square in order to honour the city's treasures while creating a new international landmark.

Since a tabula rasa attitude towards cultural heritage was out of the question, what used to be the city's "green line" becomes a place that celebrates the cultural diversity of Beirut by revealing its historical past. Starting with the idea that the region's historic periods have layered themselves over time, we conduct a strategy of organized excavation, the same way an archeologist would, by creating a cubic grid on the Square's perimeters. Digging through the Square's layers, we extract a series of historical samples.

These fragments can serve as display units for vestiges, as well as structures to cast shadows on the site. Negative space left over from their extraction allows natural light and pedestrians to penetrate the parking space below, thus creating an interface between the aboveground and underground. Being both traditional and contemporary, the new square gives visitors a full experience of the country's cultural and historical greatness.